1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shutter mechanism of a card reader for opening/closing a card path, through which a card is transferred, and a card reader equipped with the shutter mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a card insertion slot of a card reader for reproducing information recorded in a card and/or recording information into a card is equipped with a shutter mechanism for opening/closing a card path (For example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-331125 (hereinafter “Patent Document 1”) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H10-40344 (hereinafter “Patent Document 2”)).
A shutter mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a shutter plate for closing a card path, a solenoid as a driving source, a slide lever that slides by motivity of the solenoid, and a swing arm that rotates accordingly as the slide lever slides. In the shutter mechanism, the shutter plate is so placed at a lower end of the swing arm as to hang on there, and then the shutter plate moves vertically to open/close the card path accordingly as the swing arm rotates. Placed at a backside of the shutter plate in this shutter mechanism is a base plate to which the solenoid is fixed.
A shutter mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a shielding member for closing a card path, and a solenoid as well as a plunger for locking the shielding member. In the shutter mechanism, the shielding member is supported by a shaft, which is placed at an upper position of the card path so as to intersect the card path, in such a way as to be freely swing-able. When a pinching section prepared at a forefront side of the plunger pinches a lower end of the shielding member, the card path is closed.